Calamus erectus Roxb.

Clustering massive erect non-climbing rattan. Stems to 6 m tall, without sheaths 3–5 cm diam., with sheaths to 7 cm diam., internodes short, not usually exceeding 8 cm long. Leaves ecirrate; sheaths open, tubular only when very young, light to dark green, armed with partial whorls of flattened black spines 2–5 cm long, interspersed with black needle-like spicules and dark brown indumentum; knee absent; ocrea to over 15 cm long, covered in short black bristles, and splitting into two, forming auricles on either side of the petiole, auricles eventually disintegrating; flagellum absent; petioles of upper leaves 50–150 cm long, much longer in rosette leaves, rounded in cross section, armed with whorls of long, straw-coloured spines to 5–15 cm long; rachis to 3.50 m, armed as the petiole; leaflets c. 40 on each side of the rachis, regularly arranged except in juvenile leaves where somewhat irregular, the longest 60–80 x 3.5–5 cm, mid vein with short or long bristles on both surfaces and along margins. Inflorescence lacking a terminal flagellum and with numerous rather crowded partial inflorescences; male and female inflorescences superficially similar, erect, to 2 m long, the male branching to 3 orders, the female to 2 orders; primary bracts tubular but becoming lacerated at the tips; male rachillae to 10–20 x 0.3 cm, female to 11 x 0.3 cm. Fruits ellipsoid, 3–5 x 2–2.5 cm with a short beak to 0.2 x 0.2 cm, and covered with 14–15 vertical rows of reddish brown deeply grooved scales with dark and light patches. Seed 2–3.5 x 1.2–2.9 cm, endosperm deeply ruminate. Seedling leaf not recorded.